Diamonds – Much more than a girl’s best friend

Professor Moreton Moore

1800 for 18.30 start

The various forms of carbon, and the structure and physical properties of diamond, will be briefly discussed; followed by the geology, geography and history of diamond. The high-temperature high-pressure growth of synthetic diamonds will be described, as well as the optical and X-ray techniques for studying them. X-ray topography non-destructively images linear and planar defects in diamonds, such as dislocations and stacking faults. From these defects, the various modes of growth of natural diamonds can be deduced. Synchrotron sources give added powers to X-ray methods and enable imperfections to be studied in great detail. Some industrial applications of diamonds will be mentioned in the conclusion.

Moreton Moore studied mathematics and physics at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge (MA); and the physics of materials (MSc) and crystallography (PhD) at the University of Bristol. He was awarded the DSc degree of the University of London for his publications on geometry and X-ray diffraction of diamond and semiconductors. He is the founder editor of Crystallography Reviews and he has also been Co-Editor of Acta Crystallographica A and Journal of Applied Crystallography. He was appointed Lecturer in Physics at the Royal Holloway College, University of London in 1969, working with Professor Samuel Tolansky FRS. His first research investigation there was to determine if there were any diamonds in the Apollo 11 Moon-dust. Over the years, using optical and X-ray techniques, and especially synchrotron radiation, he has studied imperfections in various crystals and the roles which these defects play in modifying the useful properties of industrial materials. He is now Emeritus Professor of Physics. Councillor Moore has also been, since 1992, an elected Independent Member of Runnymede Borough Council and in 2006-07 he was the Mayor of Runnymede.